Why shouldn't you sit a baby down?
You thought it was a good idea to "stimulate" your child by training him to sit or even stand. And yes, that's what the older generation did too...
What if I told you that in reality the best way to stimulate your child is to let him do it ALL by himself!
You will answer "yes but he likes it, he is happy because he is sitting". Certainly, because he sees the world from a different height and discovers a new universe but in reality you slow down his development... In addition to specialists such as Michèle Forestier who states this in her book "De la naissance aux premiers pas" (From birth to the first steps), this is the sad fact that I share with my practice...
I strongly recommend this book, very simple to read, very pictorial and which clearly explains the stages of psychomotor development of the child.
We know you mean well, believe me my whole family is trying to sit my baby up even when my back is turned... It's not for lack of explaining to them. So it's up to you to stand your ground and explain to your family that the more you let your baby sit up on his own, the faster he will sit up on his own.
Read this short article, test it and don't hesitate to share your testimony in comments :)
The stages of psychomotor development
A baby will learn to sit up on his own through various stages of psychomotor development. It is not useful or even harmful to sit him up and cushion him with pillows... Here are the main stages:
- Turn from stomach to back
- Turn from back to stomach
- Crawling backwards
- Crawl forward
- Walking on all fours
- Sitting in a semi-seated position
- Sitting down
Sitting a baby down without him being able to do so will disrupt his psychomotor development and may cause him delays!
4 reasons not to sit your baby
Decreased movement
Sitting a baby down before he can do it on his own, or even wedging him with pillows, will prevent him from moving. Indeed, if he did not succeed in putting himself in this position, he will manage even less to leave it. He will thus remain in this position...
A more complicated walk
To walk, muscles are needed in the same way as to crawl, the baby must first have built up muscles by lying on its stomach, back, side, etc.
Crawling allows a good coordination of the legs and arms, the 4 legs too, and this will considerably help walking!
In addition, it allows your child to explore space and improve the perception of his body in space. This ability is essential for walking.
Sitting your baby down disrupts these steps and does not facilitate walking...
Bad offsets
By dint of being trapped in the sitting position, your child will set up compensations to try to move. He may move on his buttocks, have a round back or a back that leans to one side, etc. All of this will have an impact on his body.
Bad reflexes to prevent falls
When a child is not ready to sit and is put in a sitting position, he or she will freeze and over-contract muscles that should have been strengthening gently. So not only does he or she contract for fear of falling, but he or she develops fewer reflexes to avoid imbalances, which can be detrimental to other developmental stages.
I sat my baby, what to do?
Don't panic, let's go back!
Put your child back on the floor, on his back or on his stomach and let him move around.
When your child is used to being in an upright position, he or she may not be very happy to be put back on the ground. But that's"back up to jump"! So put yourself on the ground with him, play with him and be patient. Accompany him, hold on, you'll see he'll end up sitting up...
You can also consult specialized physiotherapists and/or psychomotricians. They will be able to "work" your child and especially help you to accompany him/her on a daily basis.
Sit in the arms or in the high chair?
When your baby is in your stocking, you can sit him/her against you, he/she will know the difference between sitting still, blocked and sitting in your arms.
Also, your child will be able to hold on to the highchair before sitting up on his own. Again, there is no problem sitting in the highchair when he is able to hold his back (about 6 months). But on the floor, let him sit on his own, don't sit him!
The role of the osteopath
In addition to physical therapy and psychomotricity, your osteopath's goal is to remove all mechanical disorders that prevent your child from moving properly.
For example, in children who have been seated, we often notice that they move forward on their buttocks instead of crawling and very often with one leg bent and one leg stretched, this will be a source of asymmetry and will have repercussions on the body. The osteopath will help you to treat the cause but also will remove all the dysfunctions installed by compensation.
Your osteopath also has an advisory role, showing you exercises and referring you to another specialist if necessary.
Marie Messager
Osteopath D.O
Specialized in pediatrics
In Versailles - 78
